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Varicose veins are a common problem, affecting up to 1 in 3 adults in their lifetime. They are usually a sign of an underlying venous insufficiency.
Thread veins can appear anywhere on the body but are mostly evidenced on the legs and face. They are more common than varicose veins, affecting up to 80% of adults.
Leg ulcers appear as broken skin in the lower leg or feet. We have been successfully treating venous leg ulcers for over 20 years.
Upfront and fixed prices. Find out exactly what you’ll pay before attending. Medical Insurance should fund varicose vein treatment.
We just do veins and are the most experienced clinic in Europe. We strive to provide patients with the best possible service in a friendly environment.
Walk in, walk out treatments typically take around an hour
Largest UK network of specialist clinics
If you have medical insurance, it is worth seeing whether they will fund treatment. Gaining authorisation can be daunting however we hope to make the process as simple as possible for you. We have outlined below the authorisation process for consultation and treatment with one of our vascular consultants at Veincentre.
Prior to contacting your insurer, it is really important to note three things:
Most patients can self-diagnose the fact they have varicose veins however your insurer may insist you obtain a referral letter from your GP. Most insurance companies are reluctant to authorise a consultation and scan without a GP report outlining the fact you have varicose veins, what symptoms they are causing you and whether they require further investigation. Please call your insurer to find out if this is required or not.
On receipt of the referral, the insurer will decide whether or not they will fund a consultation. If authorised, they will provide you with an authorisation code. Prior to booking the appointment, please let us know both the authorisation code and your membership number.
Following your consultation, we will inform you of the OPCS codes (treatment code/s) for the treatment you require. Your insurer will require these codes, in addition to your consultation report, in order to authorise treatment. Some insurers will also ask us to complete a separate form to send to their Specialist Varicose Vein Team.
At the time of obtaining treatment authorisation, please check if the code provided also covers a follow up appointment.
AXA Patients – Package Price
We have a fixed package price with AXA PPP for all our procedures. If you require EVLA treatment, our negotiated fixed package price includes the following:
Please note that any sclerotherapy sessions are not included. You will need to get a separate authorisation for these from AXA. AXA is reluctant to fund sclerotherapy treatment, so please be aware you may need to self-fund this if required, either alongside or post-EVLA (e.g. at follow-up).
IMPORTANT UPDATE – Insurers not funding Sclerotherapy Treatment alongside EVLA: Most patients require a combination of Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA) and Foam Sclerotherapy to treat both the underlying cause and cosmetic appearance of the veins. Insurers have recently started refusing to fund Foam Sclerotherapy treatment alongside EVLA. We are in ongoing discussions with them regarding this matter, as it is not medically in the patient’s best interests. This does currently, however, mean that if you require Foam Sclerotherapy treatment following or alongside EVLA, it is unlikely that your insurer will fund this and sadly you will need to self-fund the treatment.
The treatment codes are as follows:
Unless included in your primary treatment code, you will need to obtain further authorisation for your follow up appointment. This must also include authorisation for any treatment you may undergo at this appointment e.g. Foam Sclerotherapy. The follow-up will include a repeat scan to ensure that the EVLA treatment has worked successfully.
Your insurer may not authorise treatment in advance of the appointment. Instead they will insist you attend for a basic follow-up first and a scan report sending to them prior to authorising further treatment or not. This report will outline what, if any, further treatment is required and the clinical need for this.
We will advise you of the treatment code/s (OPCS) that you need to provide your insurer in order for them to authorise treatment at your follow-up.
Should an insurance company not authorise any follow up treatment then, unfortunately, you will need to pay for all future appointments yourself at our Fixed Cost Prices. Please see our Price List
Note for Bupa Patients
Should Bupa not authorise the foam sclerotherapy injections, or if you would prefer not to wait for Bupa authorisation and have the foam sclerotherapy at your first follow up visit, then you will be required to pay for these yourself. As you will have undergone your primary treatment as an insured patient, the charge for your foam sclerotherapy injections will be £500 (the self-funding fee for a primary session of foam sclerotherapy injections rather than the self-funding price for an initial follow-up). Although this may seem illogical it is necessary as the fees Bupa reimburse for the EVLA are lower than self-pay and the fees they reimburse for follow up are higher. The two combined are roughly equal for both self-pay and Bupa.
We will require the appropriate authorisation code/s prior to booking to secure your appointment.
Aviva
To find out how to get authorisation with Aviva please contact our patient advisers.
AXA
Bupa
Cigna
Simply Health
On 1 August 2015, Simply Health completed the sale of their private medical insurance to AXA PPP healthcare. All fees are billed as per Veincentre’s agreement with AXA PPP.
Vitality
WPA
Aetna
Allianz
Bupa International
Groupama
Healix
Health Now
Health-on-Line
If you have any problems obtaining authorisation, then please call our Head Office on 01782 753 960 with your membership number and we will endeavour to deal with this on your behalf.
